CHAPTER XXVI
PARTICIPANTS IN THE SECRET
Allerdyke was scarcely prepared for the feverish energy with whichFullaway dragged him out of the hotel, forced him into the first taxi-cabthey met, and bade the driver make haste to the Waldorf. He knew by thattime that the American was a nervous, excitable individual who now andthen took on tremendous fits of work in which he hustled and bustledeverybody around him, but he had never seen him quite so excited andeager as now. The discovery at that shabby hotel which they had justquitted seemed to have acted on him like the smell of powder on an oldwar-horse; he appeared to be positively panting for action.
"Allerdyke!" he almost shouted as the cab moved away, and he himselfsmote one clenched fist upon the other. "Allerdyke--this thing has got togo through! I resign all claim to that reward. Allerdyke!--this affair istoo serious for any hole-and-corner work. I shall tell Van Koon that whatwe know, or fancy, must be thrown into the common stock of knowledge! Thething is to get at the people who've been behind this poor chap Ebers, orFederman, or Herman, or whatever his name is. Allerdyke!--we must goright into things."
Allerdyke laughed sardonically. When Fullaway developed excitement, hedeveloped coolness, and his voice became as dry and hard as the other'swas fervid and eloquent.
"Aye!" he said in his most phlegmatic tones. "Aye, just so! And whered'ye intend to cut in, now, like? Is it a sort of Gordian knot affairthat you're thinking of? Going to solve this difficulty at one blow?"
"Don't be sarcastic," retorted Fullaway. "I'm going to take things cleanup from this Federman or Ebers affair. I'm going deep--deep! You'll seein a few minutes."
"Willing to see--and to hear--aught," remarked Allerdyke laconically."I've been doing naught else since I got that wireless telegram."
Then they relapsed into silence until the Waldorf was reached.There Fullaway raced his companion upstairs to his rooms and burstin upon Mrs. Marlow like a whirlwind. The pretty secretary, busiedwith her typewriter, looked up, glanced at both men, and calmlyresumed her labours.
"Mrs. Marlow!" exclaimed Fullaway. "Just step to Mr. Van Koon's roomsand beg him to come back here to my sitting-room with you--importantbusiness, Mrs. Marlow--I want you, too."
Allerdyke, closely watching the woman around whom so much mysterycentred, saw that she did not move so much as an eyelash. She laid herwork aside, left the room, and within a minute returned with Van Koon,who gazed at Fullaway with an air of half-amused inquiry.
"Something happened?" he asked, nodding to Allerdyke. "Town on fire?"
"Van Koon, sit down," commanded Fullaway, pushing his compatriot into theinner room. "Mrs. Marlow, fasten that outer door and come in here. We'regoing to have a stiff conference. Sit down, please, all of you. Now," hewent on, when the other three had ranged themselves about the centretable, "There is news, Van Koon. Allerdyke and I have just come away froman hotel in the Docks where we've seen the dead body of a young man who'sbeen found dead there under precisely similar circumstances to thosewhich attended the death of the French maid in Eastbourne Terrace. We'vealso heard a description of a man who was at this hotel in the Docks lastnight--it corresponds to that of the fellow who accompanied LisetteBeaurepaire. I, personally, have no doubt that this man, whoever he is,is the murderer of Lisette and of this youngster whose body we've justseen. Mrs. Marlow, this dead young fellow, from whose death-chamber we'vejust come, is that valet I used to have here--Ebers. You remember him?"
"Sure!" answered Mrs. Marlow, quite calmly and unconcernedly. "Verywell indeed."
"This Ebers," continued Fullaway, turning to Van Koon, "was a youngfellow, Swiss, German, something of that sort, who acted as valet to meand to some other men here in this hotel for a time. I needn't go intotoo many details now, but there's no doubt that he knew, and was in touchwith, Lisette Beaurepaire, and Miss Lennard positively identifies him asthe man who met her and Lisette at Hull, and represented himself asLisette's brother. Now then, Ebers--we'll stick to that name for the sakeof clearness--was in and out of my rooms a good deal, of course. Andwhat I want to know now, Mrs. Marlow, is--do you think he got access toour letters, papers, books? Could he find out, for instance, that I wasengaged in this deal between the Princess Nastirsevitch and Mr. Delkin,and that Miss Lennard had bought the Pinkie Pell pearls? Think!"
Mrs. Marlow had evidently done her thinking; she replied withouthesitation.
"If he did, or could, it would be through your own carelessness,Mr. Fullaway," she said. "You know that I am ridiculously carefulabout that sort of thing! From the time I come here in themorning--ten-o'clock--until I leave at five, no one has any chance ofseeing our papers, or our letter book, or our telegram-copies book. Theyare always on my desk while I am in the office, and when I go downstairsto lunch I lock them up in the safe. But--you're not careful! How manytimes have I come in the morning, and found that you've taken thesethings out of the safe over-night and left them lying about for anybodyto see? Dozens of times!"
"I know--I know!" admitted Fullaway with a groan. "I'm frightfullycareless--always was. I quite admit it, Mrs. Marlow, quite!"
"Of course," continued Mrs. Marlow, in precise, even tones, "of course ifyou left the letter-book lying round, and the book in which theduplicates of all our telegrams and cablegrams are kept, too--why, thisEbers man could easily read what he liked for himself when he was in hereof a morning before you got up. He was in and out a great deal, that'scertain. And as regards those two affairs, the documents we have aboutthem are pretty plain, Mr. Fullaway. Anybody of average intelligencecould find out in ten minutes from our letter-book and telegram-book thatwe negotiated the sale of the Pinkie Pell pearls to Miss Lennard, andthat Mr. James Allerdyke was bringing here a valuable parcel of jewelsfrom Russia. And," concluded Mrs. Marlow quietly, "from what I saw ofhim, Ebers was a smart man."
Van Koon, who had been listening attentively to all this, turned ahalf-whimsical, half-reproving glance on Fullaway, who sat in a contriteattitude, drumming his fingers on the polished table.
"I guess you're a very careless individual, my friend," he said, shakinghis head. "If you will leave your important papers lying about, as thislady says you're in the habit of doing, what do you expect? Now, you'vebeen wondering who got wind of this jewel deal, and here's the very proofthat you gave every chance to this Ebers to acquaint himself with it! Andwhat I'd like to know now, Fullaway, is this--what use do you supposethis young fellow made of the information he acquired? That seems to meto be the point."
"Yes!" exclaimed Allerdyke suddenly. "That is the point!"
Fullaway smote the table.
"The thing's obvious!" he cried. "He sold his information to a gang.There must have been--I mean must be--a gang. It's utterly impossiblethat all this could have been worked by one man. The man we've heard ofin connection with the deaths of Lisette Beaurepaire and of Ebers himselfis only one of the combination. I'm as sure of that as I am that I seeyou. But--who are they?"
Nobody answered this question. Allerdyke plunged his hands in his pocketsand stared at Fullaway; Mrs. Marlow began to trace imaginary patterns onthe surface of the table; Van Koon produced a penknife and began toscrape the edges of his filbert nails with a preoccupied air.
"There's the thing I've insisted on all along, Fullaway, you know," hesaid at last, finding that no one seemed inclined to speak. "I'veinsisted on it, but you've always put it off. I don't care what yousay--it'll have to come to it. Let me suggest it, now, to our friendshere--they're both cute enough, I reckon!"
"Oh, as you please, as you please!" replied Fullaway, with a wave of hishands. "Say anything you like, Van Koon--it seems as if too much couldn'tbe said at this juncture."
"All right," answered Van Koon. He turned to Allerdyke and Mrs. Marlow."Ever since this affair was brought under my notice," he said, "I'vepointed out to Fullaway certain features in connection with it.First--there's no evidence whatever that this plot originated in or wasworked from Russia. Second--there is evidence that it began here inLondon an
d was carried out from London. And following on that secondproposition comes another. Fullaway knew that these jewels werecoming--"
He paused and gave the secretary a keen look. And Allerdyke, watching herjust as keenly, saw her face and eyes as calm and inscrutable as ever; itwas absolutely evident that nothing could move this woman, no chance wordor allusion take her unawares. Van Koon smiled, and leaned nearer.
"But," he said, tapping the table in emphasis of his words, "there wassomebody else who knew of this deal, somebody whose name Fullaway theresteadfastly refuses to bring in. Delkin!"
Fullaway suddenly laughed, throwing up his arms.
"Delkin!" he exclaimed satirically. "A millionaire several times over!The thing's ridiculous, Van Koon! Delkin would kick me out if I went andasked him--"
"Delkin will have to be asked," interrupted Van Koon. "You will not facethe facts, Fullaway. Millionaire, multimillionaire, Delkin was the thirdperson (I'm leaving this valet, Ebers, clean out, though I've not theslightest doubt he was one of the pieces of the machine) who knew thatJames Allerdyke was bringing two hundred and fifty thousand pounds' worthof jewels for his, Delkin's approval! That's a fact, Fullaway, whichcannot be got over."
"Psha!" exclaimed Fullaway. "I suppose you think Delkin, who could buy upthe best jeweller's shop in London or Paris and throw its contents to thestreet children to play with--"
"What is it that's in your mind, Mr. Van Koon?" asked Allerdyke,interrupting Fullaway's eloquence. "You've some theory?"
"Well, I don't know about theory," answered Van Koon, "but I guess I'vegot some natural common sense. If Fullaway there thinks I'm suggestingthat Delkin organized a grand conspiracy to rob James Allerdyke,Fullaway's wrong--I'm not. What I am suggesting, and have been suggestingthis last three days, is that Delkin should be asked a plain and simplequestion, which is this--did he ever tell anybody of this proposed deal?If so--whom did he tell? And if that isn't business," concluded Van Koon,"then I don't know business when I see it!"
"What's your objection?" asked Allerdyke, looking across at Fullaway."What objection can you have?"
Fullaway shook his head.
"Oh, I don't know!" he said. "Except that it seems immaterial, and that Idon't want to bother Delkin. I'm hoping that these jewels will be found,and that I'll be able to complete the transaction, and--besides, I don'tbelieve for one instant that Delkin would tell anybody. I only had twointerviews with Delkin--one at his hotel, one here. He understood theaffair was an entirely private and secret transaction."
Mrs. Marlow suddenly raised her head, and spoke quickly.
"You're forgetting something, Mr. Fullaway," she said. "You had a letterfrom Mr. Delkin confirming the provisional agreement, which was that heshould have the first option of buying the Princess Nastirsevitch'sjewels, then being brought by Mr. James Allerdyke from Russia."
"True--true!" exclaimed Fullaway, clapping a hand to his forehead. "So Ihad! I'd forgotten that. But, after all, it was purely a private letterfrom Delkin, and--"
"No," interrupted Mrs. Marlow. "It was written and signed by Mr. Delkin'ssecretary. So that the secretary knew of the transaction."
Van Koon shook his head and glanced at Allerdyke.
"There you are!" he said. "The secretary knew--Delkin's secretary! How dowe know that Delkin's secretary--?"
"Oh, that's all rot, Van Koon!" exclaimed Fullaway testily."Delkin's secretary, Merrifield, has been with him for years to myknowledge, and--"
But Allerdyke had suddenly risen and was picking up his hat from a sidetable. He turned to Fullaway as he put it on.
"I quite agree with Mr. Van Koon," he said, "and as I'm JamesAllerdyke's cousin and his executor, I'm going to step round and seethis Mr. Delkin at his hotel--the Cecil, you said. It's no use trifling,Fullaway--Delkin knew, and Mrs. Marlow now tells us his secretary knew.All right!--my job is to see, in person, anybody who knew. Then, maybe,I myself shall get to know."
Van Koon, too, rose.
"I know Delkin, slightly," he said. "I'll go with you."
At that, Fullaway jumped up, evidently annoyed and unwilling, butprepared to act against his own wishes.
"Oh, all right, all right!" he exclaimed. "In that case we'll all go.Come on--it's only across the Strand. Back after lunch, Mrs. Marlow, ifanybody wants me."
The three men marched out, and left the pretty secretary standing by thetable from which they had all risen. She stood there for a few minutes indeep thought--stood until a single stroke from the clock on themantelpiece roused her. At that she walked into the outer office, put onher coat and hat, and, leaving the hotel, went sharply off in thedirection of Arundel Street.